Somebody's Hero
by Funny.Glee.Girl
Summary: Rachel has bounced around foster homes for four months, until landing in the Fabray house where she has been living for six months. When Rachel gets the opportunity to get to know her birth mother, Shelby Corcoran, Rachel wonders if she will get to have the mother she always longed for or if she has already found a family in the Fabray home.
1. Chapter 1

Rachel stretched out her legs and just as quickly pulled the blankets up to her chin. Her bare arms warmed up quickly and she smiled. She loved this bed. It wasn't like her old bed but it was nearly as comfortable and it was hers. Moving to lay on her stomach, Rachel was now completely wrapped up in the comforter, only a mess of brown hair was visible. She could stay like that for hours but the muffled chatter from the hallway told her it wasn't going to last much longer. The first few weeks of sleeping in the bed, Rachel would be up at five, before anyone else. Slowly, after six months, Rachel finally accepted that it was okay to sleep in until someone woke her up. And Rachel loved that. Waking up to gentle shakes and a caring smile was much nicer than a noisy alarm clock.

As if on cue, the bedroom door opened and the hallway light streamed into her darkened room. The curtains were pushed aside and the blinds were pulled up, letting in the warm May sun cascade onto the bundle of blankets on the bed. Judy Fabray turned to face Rachel and shook her head with a smile. Before she couldn't get the girl to stay in bed, now it was a pain to get her out. She was careful to not sit on any part of the sixteen year old and once she was settled on the bed, Judy started peeling back the layers of blankets and a sheet. Finding Rachel's face, Judy leaned down and kissed the girl's temple.

"Rachel, baby, it's time to get up." Judy loudly whispered. She then peeled away the rest of the blankets. Rachel curled herself into the fetal position and scrunched her eyes shut.

"Five more minutes." Rachel said, using one hand to find the blankets Judy took from her.

"No Ma'am." Judy shook her head and patted Rachel's bottom kindly. "Breakfast in ten minutes, so get up and get down to the table. Quinn has cheer this morning so I will be taking you to school. Now get up."

"Fine." Rachel said with a bit of exaggeration but she was secretly happy it was Judy taking her to school and not Quinn. Judy at least pulled up to the front of the school, where as Quinn made Rachel get out two blocks away from school so she wouldn't be seen with her.

Rolling twice, Rachel was out of bed. Well, kinda. She was sitting on the floor on her knees with her head resting against the mattress. She figured she would just stay like this for a few more minutes.

"Rachel, get all the way out of bed." Judy called from down the hall as she walked down the stairs.

"How does she do that?" Rachel asked herself as she lifted her head from the bed. With a small pout, Rachel entered the bathroom that was attached to her room and quickly splashed some cold water on her face. She washed her hands and dried them, then took off her glasses so she could put her contacts in.

Judy was fixing Rachel a plate of bacon and eggs with two slices of toast when she finally appeared in the kitchen. Russell Fabray folded his newspaper back slightly and gave Rachel his usual smile.

"Good morning, Rach. I see you slept well last night." Russell smirked at Rachel's bed head.

"Good morning." Rachel smiled back, grabbing a piece of Russell's bacon.

"Thief!" Russell's jaw dropped. "Judith, did you see what that little brat just did?"

"Russell, Rachel has lived with us for six months and for two of those she has been stealing a piece of bacon from your plate every Monday morning. When are you going to learn to eat it before she comes down for breakfast?" Judith placed a hand on her hip.

"Yeah!" Rachel snickered, waving the stolen piece of bacon infront of Russell before eating it.

"And you." Judy said, gently pushing Rachel's head as she placed another bacon strip on her husband's plate. "I asked you to start the dishwasher last night before you went to bed."

"Oops." Rachel sheepishly said. "I'm sorry, I forgot."

"Up late talking to Noah Puckerman?" Russell wiggled his eyebrows causing Rachel to blush.

"You know?" Rachel asked, fiddling with the edge of her sky blue tank top.

"You left your phone on the table." He nodded, sliding the device to the girl. "By the way, Noah thinks your eyes are the prettiest in the world."

"Judy." Rachel whined.

"You know what happens when you leave a phone unattended around Russell." Judy shrugged. "And it's not like he can't go online to see what you are texting.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Well, I better get going. Criminals don't put themselves in jail." Russell joked, standing up from the table.

"Here's your coffee and briefcase." Judy said, handing the items to him. They quickly kissed before Russell moved around the table and kissed Rachel on her head.

"Have a good day at school and remind Quinn she is grounded and needs to come home right after practice."

"Thank you. Good luck in court." Rachel smiled, avoiding the part about telling Quinn to be home right away.

"Bye ladies." Russell said one last time.

"Bye. I love you." Judy waved.

"Love you too."

An hour and a half later, Judye parked her silver Lexus infront of the school. Rachel reached into the backseat and grabbed her backpack. Judy leaned over the console and gave Rachel a kiss on the cheek.

"If Quinn gives you any more trouble today, you let me know. Russell and I do not tolerate bullying of any kind, especially someone who lives in our house."

"Yes ma'am." Rachel nodded. "Would it be okay if I went with Noah to The Lima Bean after school?"

"I will pick you up at four."

"Oh it's okay, Noah can drive me home."

"I will pick you up at four." Judy firmly said. "Quinn is not allowed to ride in any car with a boy without adult supervision and neither are you. You two can walk to the coffee shop."

"Fine." Rachel sighed. She knew she wasn't going to get away with it but didn't think it would hurt to try. "See you at four."

Rachel closed the door to the car and shouldered her backpack. Already she knew it was going to be a long day, especially after what happened yesterday. Quinn was pissed that Rachel got her grounded and was surely going to be looking for revenge, even though she was warned not too. But Quinn was smart and wouldn't do anything directly to Rachel and would instead enlist her minions to carry out her dirty work. Rachel checked the time and quickly dashed off to the nearest girl's bathroom. She only had ten minutes before The Unholy Trinity would be released and she needed to change into the extra set of clothes she packed in her bag. She knew she was going to be slushied today and to keep Judy from finding out, Rachel devised a plan. She'd wear her spare outfit and then would change into the clothes Judy saw her in before she had coffee with Puck.

On the way to her locker, to stash her clothes and some of her books for later, Rachel's best friend Kurt came around the corner in a flash.

"Choir room. Now." He said, dragging Rachel by the arm.

"Ow, Kurt. What the heck?"

"We are so royally screwed." Kurt exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked, struggling to break free from Kurt's surprisingly strong hold. He didn't let up until the pair were in the choir room, along with the rest of the glee club, including Mr. Shuester.

"Mercedes? Kurt? What's the big emergency?" Will asked as Rachel took a seat as far from Quinn as possible, next to her boyfriend.

"Hey babe." Puck said, leaning over to kiss Rachel. "What's this all about?"

"I have no idea." Rachel said, going in for a second kiss.

"Last night, Kurt and I drove to Akron." Mercedes started.

"You spied on Vocal Adrenaline?" Will interrupted. "Guys, that can and will get us disqualified from Regionals."

"No one saw us." Kurt shrugged. "But anyway, we found something horrifying in the trashcan outside the auditorium door."

"What did you find?" Rachel asked.

"Aside from hundreds of cans of Red Bull, we found boxes of empty Christmas lights." Kurt said, causing a loud gasp in the room.

"Oh no." Santana and Quinn's eyes widened.

"And that's not it. I went to several fabric stores and they were all sold out of red Chantilly lace." Mercedes added.

"This can't be happening." Rachel started to panic. She placed a hand to her forehead and tried to stop herself from crying.

"Whoa, Rachel, what's wrong?" Puck asked, holding his girlfriend still. It looked like she was about to faint.

"Noah, it's not good." Rachel said, tears welled up in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. "Vocal Adrenaline has gone Gaga."

"This is it. This is the end." Quinn said, standing up. "It's over. Glee club is over."

"Guys! Guys! Calm down." Will said. All of the girls were in tears and sobbing about not being able to perform, while most of the guys were trying to figure out what was going on.

"I will never be on Broadway now." Rachel sobbed into Puck's arms.

"Rach, talk to me." Puck stroked Rachel's hair.

"Everyone, be quiet!" Will shouted. "What is going on? What does Christmas lights and red lace have to do with anything?"

"Vocal Adrenaline is doing Lady Gaga. We can't compete with that." Tina said.

"Yeah, especially when you are still stuck in the 70's." Santana folded her arms. "They are going to crush us at Regionals."

"I have a plan." Will smirked.

Two hours into the school day and Rachel's head was filled with Lady Gaga ideas. Will had told everyone to dress in their favorite Gaga costume. If Vocal Adrenaline was going to do Lady Gaga, New Directions was going to bring it ten times better. On her way to third hour History, Rachel turned the corner, finding Quinn waiting outside her classroom door.

"Look Quinn, I didn't mean for your parents to find out about you hanging my training bra on the flag pole on Friday after gym."

"That's not what I want to talk to you about." Quinn said, crossing her arms. She was still pissed about being in trouble but had more important issues right now. "Mercedes and I are going to Carmel later to spy on Vocal Adrenaline. We need to figure out what we are up against. Kurt and Mercedes weren't able to get a decent look."

"What does this have to do with me?" Rachel asked.

"Seeing as I can't go anywhere after practice, I am going to tell my mom that I am studying with Mercedes for a test."

"Still doesn't have anything to do with me."

"She won't trust me if it's just me but if we say you are studying too, she will let me." Quinn said. "Meet us by my car at 2:00."

"But I will miss my last class." Rachel complained.

"I will call off your slushy attack and will make sure you don't get slushied for the next week." Quinn bargained.

Rachel tilted her head slightly. She didn't want to be slushied and a weeks break from it would be nice but at the same time, Rachel didn't want to get in trouble for skipping school.

"Alright, I will go with." Rachel sighed.

Rachel and Quinn talked for a few more minutes so Quinn could fill Rachel in on the plan. Once they were done talking, Rachel went into her History class and sat in her seat at the back of the class. Taking her History binder from her backpack, Rachel opened her notebook to a fresh sheet of paper. Today was a note taking day judging by the chalkboard. On the left side of the board, her teacher had listed out the week's homework assignments and Rachel wanted to write them all down in her assignment notebook so she could get a head start on her homework. As she wrote in the homework, Rachel's eyes glanced at the weekend section and noticed what Sunday was. Mother's Day.

Rachel hated Mother's Day. It was another reminder that she didn't have her mother in her life.

There wasn't much Rachel knew about her mother. She was aware her fathers, Hiram and Leroy Berry, had hired a college aged girl who was very beautiful and very intelligent to carry a child for them. During the pregnancy, a no contact contract had been written and signed and after the birth her mother's rights had been taken away. She was raised by Hiram and Leroy until age thirteen when Hiram, her biological father had passed away from cancer. Leroy had tried to take care of Rachel but he turned to drinking and eventually just months before Rachel's sixteenth birthday, Leroy placed Rachel in foster care. She bounced from house to house for nearly four months before Judy and Russell Fabray, who had fostered children in the past, were assigned to care for Rachel. Rachel wasn't thrilled to learn she was going to stay with the Fabrays but it was by far the best house she had been in.

The only thing Rachel did have was a tape of her mother singing to her. It was left when Rachel was born and the girl had found it when she was ten. Her dads didn't know she had the tape but Rachel listened to it all the time. Recently Puck had converted it so Rachel could put it on her iPod. It was the most listened to song on her iTunes. Her mom surpassed every Barbra Streisand song in less than a week. Rachel never stopped believing that one day she will meet the woman behind the tape.

Two in the afternoon rolled around faster than Rachel wanted it too. Rachel stopped by her locker and dropped off all of her school books. Pocketing her phone into her cardigan, Rachel slipped out the side door and ran out to Quinn's car. Mercedes and Quinn were sitting inside, leaving the backseat for Rachel. She got inside and buckled her seatbelt as Quinn backed out of the parking spot.

"I was beginning to think you were going to back out." Quinn said.

"Let's just go and get back." Rachel said.

"I already texted my mom and told her about our study group. She said we had to be home by seven, which gives us two hours to spy on Vocal Adrenaline."

A little over two and a half hours later, Rachel was glad they pulled into Carmel High's parking lot. Rachel was highly annoyed. Mercedes and Quinn ignored her the entire ride. Not once did she get included into the conversation. She knew better than to actually think she'd get included and was mad at herself for thinking it might be different because Mercedes was in the car. She considered Mercedes a friend but now Rachel was mad. Mercedes knew how Quinn treated her and was suppose to be her friend and not Quinn's. Slamming the door shut, Rachel stomped to the auditorium door. Quinn and Mercedes were right behind her. Mercedes slipped infront of Rachel, causing the smaller girl to stop her foot. Sure she looked like a child but Rachel didn't care.

"Do you think they'll be able to see us?" Quinn asked softly as they found a place in the balcony to hide.

"No, the stage lights are so bright, they need sunscreen." Mercedes said.

"They'll be here any minute." Rachel muttered, glancing at each of the doors.

Mercedes and Quinn continued to talk to one another from opposite sides of Rachel but that came to a stop when a door opened from below.

"Get warmed up and we will get started." A firm female voice loudly said and when no one moved fast enough, the voice got louder. "MOVE!"

"Yes Ms. Corcoran." A flood of voices said and within seconds the stage was filled.

Rachel watched as Shelby Corcoran walked over to the director's table. She began to set up for rehearsals, putting her sheet music, pen, water bottle and microphone in their correct spot. Looking up at her students, Shelby was displeased to find a group of her girls chatting instead of warming up.

"Is there a problem ladies?" Shelby asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"The metal underwear is starting to chaff." Giselle, the lead female of Vocal Adrenaline complained.

"Not my problem." Shelby coldly replied and went back to unpacking her things.

"What a bitch." Quinn murmured. Rachel scoffed, earning a look from Quinn. Biting her lip, Rachel went back to focusing on Shelby.

The thirty-six year old was dressed in a loose fitting purple shirt, a tight black pencil skirt, and a pair of sleek black pumps. Her hair was pulled back into a perfectly placed bun. Rachel couldn't see a wedding or engagement ring, meaning the woman was single and probably didn't have any kids, judging by the rigorous rehearsal schedule the glee club kept. Rachel admired her already. Rachel had made sure to inform Puck from day one that if their relationship got in the way of her Broadway dreams, she would break up with him. As long as he understood Broadway was number one in her life, there shouldn't be a problem.

"Alright, line up on stage. Before we get started I want to work with Giselle on her solo." Shelby said, walking to the front of the stage. "Everyone take a seat."

"What's wrong with my solo?" Giselle defensively asked.

"As a matter of fact there is, you are entering in too late." Shelby narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Watch your tone, I have no problem auditioning other girls to take your part. Just remember there is always someone better than you."

"Sorry, Ms. Corcoran." Giselle bowed her head.

"Very well." Shelby said.

After working with Giselle for fifteen minutes, Shelby ordered the group to get into starting position for Bad Romance. Rachel watched very closely for every imperfection and mistake. Finding that there were no mistakes made in any of the run throughs that had been accomplished in the last hour, Rachel was becoming intimidated. How could she compete with Giselle? Rachel in that moment decided that she needed to focus more on practicing for Regionals. She needed to add two more hours of rehearsing in her day and was going to spend the next three weekends leading up to the competition doing nothing but practicing. Perhaps she could get the auditorium key from Mr. Shuester.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Shelby blared into the microphone. "What the hell was that? You call those show faces? I spent four hours last week going over what a show face is. Do we need to have the lecture again?"

"No Ms. Corcoran." Twenty-six heads shook.

"Then give me a show face! Everyone look at Jesse. That is a show face" Shelby barked. "Good. Now take take five and drink two Red Bulls."

The auditorium emptied as the group went outside to get two Red Bulls from the cooler that was outside the door. Shelby clicked off the microphone and sat down to take two Advil. She was getting a headache. Downing half a bottle of water, Shelby stood up and began to organize her sheet music for the next song on her list of ideas for their Regionals set list. By the end of the week, she needed to have her list narrowed down. Normally she had her set list picked out weeks ago, but her personal life was getting the best of her. Ever since she saw her biological daughter at the Sectionals competition she had attended to check out the competition. All Shelby could think about was the now sixteen year old she gave up at birth.

Thinking she was alone in the auditorium, Shelby began to sing.

_When I'm stuck with a day that's gray and lonely_  
_ I just stick out my chin and grin and say...Oh!_  
_ The sun'l1 come out tomorrow,_  
_ So you got to hang on till tomorrow, came what may!_  
_ Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow_  
_ You're always a day away..._  
_ I just stick out my chin and grin and say_  
_ The sun'll come out tomorrow_  
_ So you got to hang on till tomorrow, came what may!_

Rachel's breath caught. She couldn't believe her ears. Shelby's voiced matched the one on her tape. Shelby sounded just like her mom. No, Shelby was her mom. The Shelby Corcoran was her mother. Slowly Rachel began to rise from her seat, mesmerized by Shelby and the realization. Quinn and Mercedes tried to stop Rachel from leaving her seat but Rachel ignored them and climbed down the balcony stairs. Shelby was no longer singing by the time Rachel had reached the main level. Freezing in her spot, just feet away from Shelby, Rachel opened her mouth but no sound came out.

Her mom was right there within arms reach.

"M-m-m-ms. Corcoran?" Rachel whispered but not loud enough for Shelby to hear.

Past Shelby, the auditorium door opened and several students filed into the auditorium. Giselle noticed Rachel from New Directions and folded her arms, looking ready to chew off Rachel's face.

"What is she doing here?" Giselle asked loudly. "Are you spying on us?"

Before Rachel could say or do anything, Shelby turned around to face Rachel. Green and Brown eyes met, both feeling a jolt of butterflies in their bellies. Tears began to fill Rachel's eyes and Shelby reached out to wipe them away, only she stopped herself. They couldn't do this infront of her students and the two teenagers in the balcony above.

"Ms. Corcoran?" Rachel shakily said.

"Let's take this to my office." Shelby said, hiding her own tears. Toughening up her facial expression, Shelby turned to her students. "Jesse, you are in charge. Continue rehearsals and I will be back soon." Shelby glanced up at Mercedes and Quinn. "I suggest you two go out to your cars and not spy on my team while you wait for your friend here."

Mercedes and Quinn nodded rapidly and booked it out of the auditorium and out to Quinn's car. Jesse got the team started on the next song, while Shelby grabbed her purse and phone. She turned back to Rachel and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Do you have time?" Shelby softly asked, noticing her coach voice had scared the girl a bit.

"Yeah." Rachel whispered, nodding her head.

Shelby kept her hand on Rachel's shoulder as she walked the pair to her office. Neither one knew what to say on the short walk down the hallway but for Rachel, Shelby's touch was enough for now. It was giving her some form of comfort. Shelby's hand dropped to her pocket, fiddling for her office keys and as she unlocked the door, she stole a glance at Rachel, who was staring at her feet. The lock came undone and Shelby opened the door for Rachel, motioning for the girl to sit down on the extra chair.

"I'm sorry for spying, it wasn't my idea. Honest." Rachel quickly said. "I don't usually do things like this or skip school but it just kinda happened."

"You just happened to stumble into my auditorium two and a half hours away from McKinley?" Shelby raised her brow.

"Well no, but,...wait...how did you know I am from McKinley?"

"I saw you at your Sectionals performance. You were marvelous." Shelby smiled, making Rachel blush. "I was so proud of you."

"Thanks." Rachel blushed deeper. "I, um, I had been singing Don't Rain on My Parade since I was two."

"You like Barbra?" Shelby asked.

"I love her. My middle name is Barbra. Rachel Barbra Berry. I don't know where my dads got the name Barbra from but I like to think I was named after Barbra Streisand."

"You were." Shelby answered. "I picked it out. I don't know how they came up with Rachel but I asked that Barbra be your middle name."

"My dads, uh, were big FRIENDS fans." Rachel chuckled, as did Shelby.

"It suits you well." Shelby stated. "Rachel Barbra."

"What about your daughter? Does that suit me well?" Rachel shyly asked, looking down at her hands that rested in her lap. "I mean, do you...want...me?"

"I've always wanted you." Shelby breathed out. "I made a terrible mistake, signing the no contact contract. I regret it everyday and if you want me as your mother, I will call your dads and see if we can get it thrown out."

"You can't." Rachel whispered.

"I am assuming they aren't aware that we know about each other and I bet you are worried about telling them but we have too."

"You can't." Rachel looked up at her mother. "My dad, Hiram, died and my dad, Leroy, he gave me away to foster care."

"Oh no." Shelby's hand covered her mouth. "Rachel, I am so sorry about your dad."

"He got very sick from cancer and died not even four months after his diagnosis."

"And Leroy put you in Foster care?" Shelby questioned.

"Yeah, I had been bouncing around different homes for four months. Now I've been staying with Quinn, the blonde girl who is with me, and her family for six months. It's nice, I have my own room and bathroom. The Fabrays got me a cell phone. They are nice people, well, except for Quinn. She has hated me since second grade. I don't know why she doesn't like me but it's not so bad when we are at her house, cause her parents don't let her pick on me. At school, it-" Rachel stopped talking, realizing she was rambling and said too much. "-I'm sorry."

"I was suppose to be contacted." Shelby said. It was in the contract. If for any reason the Berry's couldn't take care of Rachel, Shelby was suppose to be contacted for the option of taking over custody. Why wasn't she contacted?

"If you had, would you have, well, taken me in?" Rachel asked.

"In a heartbeat." Shelby answered without thought. "And maybe, after you get to know me and decide you want me to be your mother, you could come to live with me. But only when you are ready. I don't want to push you too soon."

"You want to get to know me too?" Rachel's eyes widened with wonder.

"I want to know everything about you." Shelby replied.

"Really?" Rachel's eyes widened even more.

"Really." Shelby smiled.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for taking time to read my first story. Please let me know if this is something you'd like me to continue writing.  
**

**I haven't decided if Quinn is pregnant or not.**

**Thanks again.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the great reviews! I am glad you are all liking my story so far!**

* * *

Four days had passed since Rachel and Shelby's initial meeting. Of course Rachel told Russell and Judy about finding her birth mother, which lead to her and Quinn being grounded for the weekend. It was hard for the adults to give out a punishment, as had the girls not gone Rachel wouldn't have found Shelby, however, the girls did skip school and drove nearly three hours away without permission. There needed to be a consequence and so, both girls were given extra chores for the week. Rachel hated her punishment at first but Wednesday night Russell came home with some exciting news; Shelby would be coming over Friday night for dinner. Rachel had been given the kitchen and dining room to clean and now she could make sure it was perfect for her mother. Skipping glee rehearsals after school on Friday, Rachel spent four hours re-cleaning the rooms she had worked on all week. When she finished, Rachel checked the time.

7:30.

Shelby would be arriving in a half an hour.

When Rachel returned downstairs after a quick shower, she was dressed in a knee length navy dress with white polka dots, along with a pair of Mary-Janes and knee socks. Her hair was brushed back with a headband keeping her long hair from her face. Quinn was sitting on the livingroom couch, her feet propped up on the coffee table and remote in her hand.

"Do you have knee socks in every color, Man Hands?" Quinn snorted with an eye roll.

"Shut up, Quinn!"

"If I had your fashion sense I'd tie them all together and hang myself." Quinn laughed. "Although this outfit is a step up from the animal sweaters."

"Shut up!" Rachel said a bit louder. She liked her animal sweaters.

"What's going on in there?" Judy called from the kitchen. She was putting the finishing touches on dinner as Shelby was going to be arriving any minute.

"Nothing." Quinn called back.

"You're such a bitch. I can't wait to get out of here and live with my mom." Rachel mumbled.

"That's if she wants you. I wouldn't be surprised if she was just like your fathers." Quinn chuckled.

Rachel's feelings were instantly hurt. She wanted to punch Quinn in the face but she really wanted to cry. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Rachel ran towards the stairs to go to her bedroom. She didn't want to have dinner with Shelby anymore. She didn't want to get her hopes up about having her mom in her life. What if Quinn was right? She already had a hard time dealing with Hiram's death and Leroy abandoning her, she didn't know how she was going to be able to handle Shelby walking away.

Judy was just coming out of the kitchen when Rachel ran by. She could see the sixteen year old was upset and knew something besides nothing had gone down in the livingroom moments prior. Walking over to the couch, Judy plucked the remote from her daughter's hand and turned off the large flat screen.

"Hey!" Quinn complained, sitting up.

"Why is Rachel upset?" Judy asked, folding her arms.

"I don't know. She gets emotional sometimes. It's like she's on her never ending period or something."

"Tonight is important for her, Quinn. Please try to be nice to her. I know she isn't like you or your friends but-"

"-I don't want to be friends with her, Mother."

"I am not asking you too or forcing you to be friends with her but I am demanding that you treat her kindly." Judy firmly said. "I am not going to ask what was said out here but I am asking that you go and apologize to her. Shelby will be here any minute and I am sure she will need help reapplying her makeup. You are good at that."

"Alright." Quinn sighed and stood up.

"Thank you, Princess." Judy said, standing up and kissing Quinn's forehead.

As Quinn reached the top stair, the doorbell rang. Fixing the couch cushions and pillows from Quinn, Judy quickly made her way to the front door and opened it for the new mom.

"Hello." Judy cheerfully greeted.

"Hell, I'm Shelby Corcoran, Rachel's mother." Shelby politely greeted, extending her hand out to the older mother.

"I'm Judy. Please come in."

"Thank you." Shelby stepped into the house. "Your house is amazing."

"Why thank you, here let me take your coat." Judy smiled. Shelby slipped off her black blazer and handed it to Judy, along with her purse. "The girls are getting ready and should be down any second. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Water is fine."

Judy and Shelby got settled in the kitchen to wait for the girls. They began with a little small talk, mostly about the decor pieces around the room and the family pictures on the fridge. Shelby made sure to avoid bringing up the picture of the Fabray's and Rachel at the zoo, smiling, looking like a happy family. It was jealousy that these people knew more about her daughter and jealousy that she didn't have a single photo of Rachel. Thankfully to avoid Judy talking about the picture, Quinn came into the kitchen.

"There you are." Judy smiled. "Where's Rachel?"

"Um, she's upstairs." Quinn slowly said, opening the fridge.

"Is she coming down?" Judy asked.

With her head deep in the fridge, Quinn answered but neither Shelby nor Judy could pick up what she said.

"Is Rachel coming down?" Judy asked again.

Again, Quinn's voice was muffled.

"Quinn!"

"She doesn't want too." Quinn said, spinning around. She closed the fridge door and sat down next to Judy. "I tried to talk to her but she wouldn't listen."

"I will try to talk to her." Judy said, standing up.

"Actually." Shelby quickly said. "Would you mind if I did?"

"Uh, sure. Quinn? Would you show her the way?"

Quinn showed Shelby to Rachel's door, then returned downstairs to help her mother finish setting up with dinner. She heard her father enter the house and raced down to say hello before going into the kitchen.

Shelby tapped the door twice with her knuckles and waited for a reply. When Rachel didn't answer, Shelby wondered if it was okay to enter. Biting her lip, Shelby knocked twice more before pushing down on the door handle. The heavy oak door swung open and the light in the bathroom caught Shelby's attention. Crossing the room, she knocked on the bathroom door, this time Rachel responded.

"I don't want to talk, Judy. I am not coming down." Rachel sniffled.

"Rachel?" Shelby softly said. "It's Shel-mom. It's mom. Can you open the door? Please?"

It took a moment but the door unlocked and opened. Rachel stood in her dress, her hair still perfect, makeup smudged around her eyes. She scanned her eyes over her mother's attire. Dark washed jeans, a purple blouse, and her hair flowed down her shoulders. Shelby was much more laid back than when Rachel had seen her days ago. Made Rachel feel more relaxed and at ease, not as if she was under coach Corcoran's reign.

"Why don't you come out here so we can talk?"

Rachel nodded and shut the light off in the bathroom. Shelby and Rachel got comfortable on the bed, Rachel sat against the headboard while Shelby sat near her feet.

"Are you sure, you want me?" Rachel asked.

"Very much. I have always wanted you." Shelby answered. "Rach, I've never done the parenting thing before. It's just me and my dog, Toto. I have no clue what I am doing or suppose to do, even now as we speak. I don't know what to say to make you feel better. But know, I love you very much. I don't know your favorite color or if you've ever broken a bone but those are things that I can learn over time. If you give me the chance. I want to be your mom. Okay? If I mess up, because I will make mistakes, please just don't give up on me."

"You don't have to be perfect. I just want, no, I need you to be there for me." Rachel said.

"I will be there. I will prove myself, Rach."

"Okay." Rachel nodded. "I'm sorry I said I wasn't gonna come down to eat. I was just worried that, I'm just scared that-"

"-It's okay to fear that I will do what Leroy did. I understand." Shelby assured her.

"Are you mad at me for thinking that way?"

"Not at all." Shelby smiled. "Now can we go downstairs? I think supper is about ready."

"Yeah." Rachel smiled back. As they climbed off the bed, Rachel stopped her mom. "Shelby?"

"Hmm?" The woman hummed. She reached out and tucked a few strands of hair behind Rachel's ear.

"You referred to yourself as mom." Rachel twisted her fingers. "Is it okay if I call you that? It feels weird to call you Shelby."

"Sure." Shelby nodded with delight. "I'd love if you did."

Rachel nodded with a smile and the pair continued to head out of the bedroom. Down the flight of stairs, Shelby reached over and held Rachel's hand. Rachel softly smiled, looked up at Shelby, then ducked her head as she blushed. Shelby chuckled and squeezed Rachel's hand. Just as they entered the dining room, Rachel tugged on Shelby's hand, stopping them short of the double French doors.

"Purple and gold and no." Rachel stated. Shelby gave her a questioning look. "My favorite colors and I've never broken a bone."

Shelby made note of what she had just learned and followed Rachel into the dining room. The small girl walked around the table, pulling out two chairs. One for her and one for her mom. She looked up at Shelby with the widest smile Shelby swore she ever saw. Rachel waited for Shelby to take her seat before she sat down between Judy and Shelby. Russell had asked everyone to join hands, each person bowing their heads just slightly and listened as a prayer was said. With a lowly whispered 'Amen' and everyone straightened up, letting go of each other's hands. Except Rachel, she held onto Shelby's hands just a few seconds longer and give a small smile when Shelby gave a gentle squeeze.

"So, Miss Corcoran." Quinn loudly interrupted mother and daughter. She passed Shelby the bowl of mashed potatoes from across the table. "How soon until Rachel will be moving in with you?"

"Quinn." Russell quietly chastised.

"What?" Quinn shrugged, looking down at her plate and rolling her eyes.

"Well, as much as I would love to have Rachel come live with me-"

"-So you don't want her?" Quinn asked, slanting her eyes slightly at Rachel. The darker haired girl bit her lip and pretended to be oblivious to the conversation.

"That is quite enough Lucy Quinn." Judy said. Rarely did she ever call Quinn by her full birth name and when she did that meant the girl was in serious trouble. "Take your plate to your room. I will call you downstairs when it is time to clean up."

"But!-" Quinn shouted.

"You heard your mother. Move it." Russell strongly said.

Quinn stood up from her spot and grabbed her plate, pushing her chair in roughly. She stormed out of the room, mumbling something under her breath. Judy cleared her throat and wiped her mouth with the maroon colored cloth napkin and pushed back her chair. Rachel knew exactly what was going to happen and wiped her mouth with her own napkin to hide her smirk.

"Forgive me for my daughter's actions." Russell said as his wife excused herself from the diningroom. He wasn't entirely sure of what to say to Shelby.

"It's alright." Shelby replied with a hint of tightness to her voice. She wondered how much taunting from Quinn did Rachel have to put up with just so the girl could have a loving and stable home.

Rachel could feel her mother's voice change and bit her lip. She could see her mom was not at all happy with Quinn's behavior towards her.

Shelby knew Quinn wasn't very nice to her at school but Rachel had promised Shelby that Quinn was at least nice to her at home. Shelby was bothered by the fact that Quinn wad even mean to Rachel at all, though knowing Rachel didnt see much of the blonde during the day unsupervised helped ease Shelby's feelings. Only a little though.

"I'm going to the kitchen." Rachel stood up. "Anybody need anything?"

"No thank you, Rachel." Russell smiled.

"I'm good, Darling." Shelby smiled.

Rachel nodded and left the room, leaving Russell and Shelby alone.

"I do appreciate everything you have done for Rachel." Shelby said when Rachel was gone. "I am sure her father's death and her father abandoning her, has been tough on her."

"She has been a strong girl." Russell nodded. "She is adjusting quite well."

"And Quinn? I am sure it's not easy for her to have Rachel taking some of the attention." Shelby said. "Though, the two not getting along at school for years doesn't help things."

"I know Quinn hasn't been the nicest person to Rachel."

"And I know you and your wife have done the best you can to make sure Rachel is not being bullied when the girls are here."

"We cannot follow Quinn around all day to make sure she is being nice to her."

"No, you cant." Shelby agreed. "But I have to wonder what affect this has on Rachel. To be picked on at school and to have to come home to your bully, cannot be easy. And tonight shows that Quinn can't control herself at home. Look, I don't mean to be rude and to make a bad first impression but my daughter's well being comes first. You and Judy are taking great care of Rachel, however, I do plan to get custody of Rachel."

"Judy and I will not stand in your way and will do whatever we can to aid you in getting your parental rights reinstated."

"Thank you." Shelby smiled. "I'd also like to have Rachel over at my place a few days a week."

"Of course, I think we should let Rachel decide when those days would be, as long as she is not trying to get out of a punishment or grounding."

"Whatever punishment she receives will be carried out at my house as well, seeing as I would expect the same courtesy."

Judy returned the room in time to catch the last bit of Shelby's sentence. She had wanted to have this talk with Shelby, knowing how important it was to Rachel to have Shelby in her life. The three adults continued their talk for several minutes until a large crash, followed by a shrill scream from Rachel, was heard from the kitchen. All three jumped up at nearly the same time and rushed into the next room.

Shelby was behind Judy, who was the first to enter the kitchen. Rachel was on the floor, clutching her left arm with tears streaming down her cheek. Quinn was a few feet away, her hair a tangled mess. It looked as though there had been a small scuffle that had ended with Rachel being hurt. Russell was at his daughter's side, holding on to her arm and demanding am answer as to what happened. Judy stood between the two girls as if playing referee, letting Shelby care for Rachel.

"She attacked me!" Quinn accused. "I came down here to return my plate and she attacked me."

"I did not!" Rachel bellowed.

"Hush, baby." Shelby soothed as she looked over Rachel's already bruising forearm.

"But I didn't attack her, mom. Honest."

"She pushed me and pulled my hair. I pushed her back to get her off me." Quinn defended.

"Rachel is this true?" Judy asked the younger girl.

"Well, yes but-" Rachel started.

"You two know better than to fight. I'm afraid you both are grounded for a week." Russell said.

"But!-"

"-No but's, Rachel. Neither of you are leaving this house, except for school. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Sir." Both girls grumbled.

"Quinn, come help me clean up the dinner dishes." Russell said, ushering his daughter into the dining room.

"I think she needs some ice." Judy said, hovering over Shelby and Rachel.

"She needs to see a doctor, it looks broken." Shelby said.

"I will make her an appointment tomorrow morning. For tonight some ice and one of my pain killers should work and keep her comfortable." Judy said, getting an ice pack from the freezer.

"I would much rather she be seen now." Shelby said as she stood Rachel up carefully. She took the ice pack and gently laid it on Rachel's arm, wincing at Rachel's gasp of pain. "I'll take her."

"Russell and I will-"

"It's okay Judy, my mom can." Rachel said, sniffling. She liked how it felt having her mom take care of her and it would give them some time alone to talk.

"I will go pack her an overnight bag, it's getting late and I am sure you'll be at the hospital for a few hours, Rachel may stay with you for a night or two."

"Thank you." Shelby smiled and watched the older blonde leave the room before she turned back to Rachel. "What happened?"

"Quinn was mad that Judy made her have dinner with us instead of going out with her friends and that's why she said those things." Rachel said, keeping her eyes trained on the ice pack.

"I meant what happened in here." Shelby calmly said. "Quinn wasn't being very truthful and didn't exactly tell the whole story, did she?"

"No." Rachel shook her head. "I was getting some ranch dressing and Quinn came down the back steps to put her plate away. She asked if you had left yet and I said no. Quinn said it was a matter of time before you did and I got mad and told her to go to hell. We fought back and forth for a bit, then I pushed her and then she pushed me back. I didn't fall down but she pushed me harder, into the countertop and I fell to the floor, I heard a cracking noise in my arm and it hurt. It still does, a lot."

"We're gonna go have it looked at, Baby."

"I'm sorry, Mom." Rachel said, fresh tears slipped down her face. "I shouldn't have pushed Quinn but she wouldn't stop saying mean things. I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry. I promise I am not a bad kid."

"I know you aren't, Sweetie." Shelby tucked some hair behind Rachel's ear. "You are not a bad kid, but next time the best thing you can do is walk away."

"I'm sorry." Rachel's lip quivered, threatening a burst of unstoppable tears.

"Shhh." Shelby softly said, pulling Rachel into a hug.

Rachel parted from Shelby as the door opened to Quinn, Russell, and Judy. Rachel excused herself to go get dressed, glaring at Quinn as she went by.

"I'll come and help you in a bit, Rach." Shelby called after the girl.

"Here's her state insurance card." Judy first handed Shelby. "And I packed her three days worth of clothes, if you need more, stop by anytime. Russell and I will let her stay as long as she wants but she needs to return to school by Wednesday."

"I don't want her to miss much school and you all are more than welcome to come see her, whenever you want." Shelby smiled. She was holding back tears of joy at getting to spend alone time with her daughter at her house. She was going to be caring for her hurt daughter, not Judy Fabray.

"Thank you." Judy grinned. "Oh, and I also packed her toothbrush, hair brush, and shower toiletries. Now, Rachel cannot sleep unless she listen to this song that's number one on her iPod. I don't know who sings it but she has to listen to it while she cuddles with her stuffed hippo and her blanket."

"Okay." Shelby nodded, taking the hippo, blanket, and iPod.

Shelby walked to the front door and set Rachel's things on the ground. Rachel was going to need help changing out of her dress and into some more comfortable clothes and Shelby wanted to get her to the emergency room as soon as possible.

Rachel was sitting on her bed, cradling her arm, waiting for her mother as Shelby walked in. The girl had gotten out a pair of capri length sweatpants and a tee shirt. A pair of white Puma tennis shoes sat on the floor next to Rachel's discarded mary-janes. Rachel asked Shelby to undo the zipper that ran along her spine and used one hand to pull the navy fabric from her petite body. She thought she'd be embarrassed at letting Shelby help her but Rachel was in far too much pain and was much too angry at Quinn to be concerned. Plus she figured if she needed a cast, Shelby would be helping her more often anyway.

"How are you feeling?" Shelby asked, slipping the tee over Rachel's arms and then over her head.

"My arm hurts really bad." Rachel sighed.

"The doctor will give you something for the pain and then we will go home to my house, okay?" Shelby said.

Rachel nodded as her pants were put in place. She was instructed to sit on the bed so Shelby could put on her shoes. Shelby waited for Rachel to gather anything else she wanted to take with her into a bag and then carried the bag on her shoulder so Rachel didn't have too. Judy and Russell were sitting in the living room with Quinn, who was receiving a lecture about her actions all night. The lecture stopped as soon as it was made known that Rachel and Shelby were in the room.

"Do you have everything? " Judy asked, fussing with Rachel's hair. Rachel nodded with a small smile. "Call us if you need anything, okay?"

Shelby narrowed her eyes just slightly, then returned them back to normal. She knew Judy would do anything for Rachel but she couldn't help but feel as if Judy thought she wasn't capable of taking care of her own child. Judy and Russell said their goodbyes, along with Quinn in her own way, and Shelby led Rachel out to her black Range Rover. She placed Rachel's things into the trunk and got into the driver's seat, where Rachel was already buckled in.

The car ride was short and easy, though the two had not spent any time together since their initial reunion, it surprised both ladies at how at home each felt being in each others presence. Shelby knew she wanted to be a mom to Rachel and was going to do everything to prove that to Rachel. No opportunities would go missed by Shelby and the new mom felt she had done a great job at stepping up. First with getting Rachel to come down to dinner and now taking the girl to the hospital. She knew there wouldn't always be simple fixes with Rachel. Adjusting wouldn't always be so easy, Shelby had not raised Rachel from birth and a times Rachel may think she doesn't need a mom to tell her what to do. Shelby understood that, Rachel had already been raised and she was there to finish the job. But no matter how old, Rachel was always going to need her mom by her side and Shelby was going to be there.

Judy had to call ahead and inform the ER that Shelby was going to be bringing Rachel in as Shelby was not Rachel's guardian and she could not give the doctor approval to treat Rachel. Shelby took care of the paperwork, while Rachel sat next to her, anxiously awaiting for her name to be called.

She didn't hate the doctors but she wasn't very fond of not knowing what they were going to do to her arm. Shelby finished the paperwork and returned it to the nurse. She sat back down and laid her hand on Rachel's bouncing leg.

"It's gonna be okay." Shelby comforted her daughter. "I am here for you. Always."

* * *

**A/N: RIP Cory. :( /3**


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